Either...Or....And

by Mollie

   Today was supposed to be a FTLF (Fun to Learn Friday) where I share a fun activity to do with your little one at home and on a budget, but this has been on my heart for awhile now and thought I should share.

 You might be reading the title of this post thinking "what?!?"  Allow me to explain.  I have been feeling that in my life I have a lot of either/or. EITHER I have a clean house at the end of the day OR I have been a great mom and devoted time to my kiddos.  EITHER I work out and exercise OR I do my devotional.  EITHER I work on my projects for Yellowmedaisy OR I make dinner for my family. So i'm searching for the AND.  I want more AND in my life.

 Like the Proverbs 31 woman.  If you are unfamiliar with this...let me indulge you.  (This is in the message translation of the Bible.  Its more of a paraphrase than an actual translation, but it gets the point across)

^10-31 A good woman is hard to find,
   and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
   and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
   all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
   and enjoys knitting and sewing. 
 HOORAY!! Got that one down. 
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
   and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
   for her family and organizing her day. 
 Um.... Gotta work on that.
She looks over a field and buys it,
   then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden. 
I'm TERRIBLE at gardening... oops.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
   rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
   is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
   diligent in homemaking.
Things I strive to be
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
   reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
   their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
   and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Holla! 
Her husband is greatly respected
   when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
   brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Does this speak to the creative woman or WHAT?!?
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
   and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
   and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
   and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
   her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
   but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
   The woman to be admired and praised
   is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
   Festoon her life with praises!




Now before you make this face because you are overwhelmed with the thought of living up to the Proverbs 31 woman: 

Know that God has given us all the tools we need to succeed.. 

 Philippians 4:13 says that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"  

 If I continue to rely on my own strength and capabilities to be 100% productive every day than I will always fail.  If I start and end my day with the Lord than I can succeed.  I am blessed to serve a God that sustains me and wants me to succeed! 

1 Corinthians 10:31 says " Whatever you do in thought, word, and deed, do all for the glory of God."

 Even if it is snuggling with your babies and leaving the dirty dishes in the sink. :) 

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! 

Blessings! 

What I Wore Wednesday #6

by Mollie

Only two outfits this week but I have a very special model who was a willing participant! 

She's getting good at posing! These pictures are taken as we are leaving the house each day.  My hubby works from home so he always helps me get the kiddos out and packed into the car (blessed!) So I have convinced him to grab a quick photo on the way out.  Zoie has started saying "mama, i take a picture with you?" as we leave...

Sweater: Target

Tank: Gap outlet

Jeans: Calvins

Sandals: Target

Necklace: Allora Handmade

check out that posing! Natural!!

Tank: Ann Taylor Loft

Sweater & Jeans: Gap Outlet

Baby Girl: Priceless.

new cuff from Target! Thanks mom!

Sweater: Carters Outlet

Shirt: Wal-Mart clearance. (yeah baby!)

Jeans: Osh Kosh

Shoes: Stride Rite

kissable cheeks!

yep! That's where stickers go. :)

That was more Zoie than me, but she's cuter anyways...  I'm linking up with Lindsey so go check it out! 

Blessings!

Jumpin' on the cake pop bandwagon.

by Holly

This is the look of pure joy .

This is my little man celebrating himself, turning 4.

We had a very simple party for him...

One Cars bounce house... for the whole day.

And of course, cake.

But we did it a bit differently this time, and I introduced little man to cake pops.

Have you made these before?

Quite possibly the easiest thing ever.  However, they are tricky to make perfectly round.  So, we had a lot of sprinkles (makes them better anyway).

Of course, Bakerella makes them best.  But if you want to try it...

Just bake a cake, then crumble it all up.

Add 2/3 can of frosting and mash into balls.

Put a popsicle stick into each ball (I dipped the stick in melted candy melt first so they would hold well).

Cover with melted candy melts and sprinkle on the sprinkles.

Instant love!!!  And they are perfectly sized for little eaters.

Such a fun party, with such little fuss.

And after all that bouncing, my kids were practically begging for bedtime.

Win-Win!






Happy Tuesday everyone!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year...


6 years ago, our middle son was born.  It was a fantastic day, although a little tricky since my husband was away at summer camp with our church kids.  


Geoff came home Monday night and Tuesday morning we checked in at 8 am, and our beautiful baby was here within a couple hours.


This is my attempt to document these past 5 years with our Sir William.

                                         Such a little guys meeting his aunts.

 

Sweet 1 year old...

 

Crazy 2 year old eating his chocolate chip shake at camp (where we always spend his birthday since that is where Daddy is)

 

One of my favorite pics ever!!!  Such a happy 3 year old.

 

Big time 4 year old!

 

My 5 year old buddy.

And now he is 6.  Wow!  And we will spend the day driving to see Daddy at camp, swimming in the lake, and eating a chocolate chip shake.  And it will be perfect!


I also can't wait to show you his birthday party that will be happening this weekend.  We are having a sailboat/Cape Cod theme water party, and I am so excited to get it all together.  There are so many great nautical themed parties out there right now, but they are mostly for 1st birthdays.  So, I am trying to grow it up a bit.  Should be fun!


Off to bed now (writing this Monday night since we have a big day tomorrow).  I have a feeling that I will be awaken at the crack of dawn by one excited 6 year old, and I wouldn't have it any other way.


Happy Tuesday!

Fall Wreath

by Mollie

 So I have totally been swept up with the yarn wreath obsession.  I have been pinning all sorts of beautiful ones and could hardly wait to make my own. (btw... follow me on Pinterest here)

  Here are some of my current obsessions:

Source: etsy.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: paint-me-a-picture.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Source: paint-me-a-picture.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Aren't these just adorable?!?  Holly made a super cute one for Middle Man's Birthday party here.  So I decided to try my hand at it.

I started with a simple foam wreath and wrapped the heck out of it with yarn.  It took me almost an hour of PURE wrapping (while watching Bachelor Pad of course) to get it all covered.  I decided to wrap it completely twice to make sure I covered any holes or gaps that was left out the first time.

Then on to make the flowers.  I broke out my trusty gathering foot.  If you dont have one of these and you make a lot of ruffles...YOU NEED ONE!! 

It does this for you without ANY effort at all. Trust me...If I can do it so can you. 

Pretty pretty ruffles... I wrap this long ruffle around and sew it down on a circle piece of felt and add a decorative button in the middle.  

I made a couple more ruffle flowers and one mustard felt flower and hot glued them on.

I have to tell you.... I kind of LOVE it!

no...its NOT going to sit on my floor.  I have big plans for this little wreath but it will be revealed soon! 

Hope ya'll had a great weekend.  If you attended Blog Sugar I'm totally jealous and want to hear all about it!!

Blessings!

HELP! I need inspiration! AND {InstaFriday}

by Mollie

 HELP!! I totally hated the wall display I had up in our living room so on an impulse I bought a couple floating shelves from Target and took everything off the wall.  My goal was to put up two shelves and decorate them as one would a mantel since we don't have one in our home.  ONLY ONE PROBLEM:  Those shelves are horrible! All they left me with are 4 GIANT holes in my wall.  I have to go return them this week (fingers crossed they accept them back).  So now I am left with a blank wall.... and no inspiration.  I have a new subway art family rules sign coming to me next week and I want to incorporate that in my decor.   Here is what I am working with...

Pardon the bad lighting...I took this photo at 7pm... 

I have the collage of frames on the left that I rotate out different scrapbook paper for the season/whim.  I need to put the fall paper back in there... whoopsie! 

I AM ACCTEPTING any new pins or ideas that you would so kindly suggest.  I know if I put it out there in the blog world I can get some good feedback! 

ok... now onto {InstaFriday}

sleeping in the same position! LOVE.

knocked out after playing at Nana's house. (2nd best place next to Dland)

Yep...this is how I blog when Daddy is gone at Basketball practice.  Nope...that's not a dolly on the right, that's Pennie..

Hope ya'll are doing well... Can't wait to get some good suggestions. 

Blessings!

A little camping organization

by Holly

My family goes camping a few times a year, and the hardest part of it all is keeping everything organized.

This summer, as we headed off for Yosemite, I wanted to make something that would help my boys keep their toiletries straight.  They are now old enough to take care of the teeth brushing, hair combing, and face washing by themselves.  Before, I would just keep all their stuff with me and then I would lug all my stuff, their stuff, and the 3 of them off to the bathrooms.

So, the day before we left I decided to sew up these little toiletry bags.  One for each of them, to keep everything neat and tidy...

They were super simple to put together, trust me.  I would not have taken on this project the day before we left if they weren't.

I found some solid scrap fabric and used a coordinating print for their initial, the inside, and a loop on the end to grab on to.  I simply put velcro on the inside to keep it all closed.

My boys loved being able to be responsible for their own stuff (and filling their bags with THEIR essentials... toothbrush, mini toothpaste, little comb, spray bottle, chapstick, small shampoo, and wash cloth)

And now that we are home, these little bags are also great for take along snacks.  So fun, inexpensive, and practical.  All my favorites!  Simple creativity.

Happy Thursday!

What I Wore Wednesday #5

by Mollie

 I actually had a couple outfits this week that I really liked!  I am enjoying putting the effort into what I wear each morning. Its forcing me to use the clothes in my closet resourcefully... I like that!!

Day #1: Preschool & sewing for Yellowmedaisy

Sweater & Halter : Gap Outlet

Jeans: Calvins

I love that she wanted a headband and that she wanted it on top of her head..Maybe she is starting a new trend...who am i to argue? I take picture of myself daily.. haha!

Show the earrings but really I just wanted to give that little girl some kisses!

Earrings from April over at Funky Vintage Lovely 

I have to restrict myself to only wear these a couple times a week! I want to wear them with EVERYTHING!! I'm most definitely picking up some more colors in November at Queen Bee Market.. Will you be there too??

Shoes: Rocket Dog.  Brand NEW! Thanks mama. :)

Necklace: The Pleated Poppy... I can't tell you how many compliments I get on this!

Day #2: Went to a concert @ Irvine Spectrum.  AMAZING BAND!! Check them out: Autumn Eyes

I'm trying new color combos.  Gray & yellow... Navy & Orange. Its fun to do something a little out of the box for me. 

new $5 earrings from Target.  Can you argue with that?!? 

Day #3: Church & Dinner w/ Grandparents. 

Sweater: Gap Outlet (i seriously have a sweater obsession. In fact our closet just broke because my sweaters were too heavy.. oops!)

Tank: Costco

Cuff: Stacy Lynn Designs

Skirt: NEW!! made by me from wal-mart fabric! Yey for $2.59 a yard on clearance! 

Zoie has a slight tutu and bouncy ball obsession right now.  Can't leave the house without both of them.  I figure OH WELL. How long can you leave the house with a tutu on and still look cute? its a pretty small window of time. :)

Hope ya'll are having a great week! I'm linking up with Lindsey so go check out her too!! 

Blessings!

Just a thought...

by Holly

My family is currently in the process of purging.

I know, this usually happens in the spring.  But, we tend to do things differently around here.  The fact that the kids are back in school helps this momma considerably (especially when it comes to cleaning out toys).

We are also having our once a year neighborhood garage sale this weekend, and we are trying to sell a lot of stuff to help raise money for our upcoming mission trip to El Salvador this winter.

So, if you need me this week you can find me knee deep in the play closet, or ducking into the deepest of kitchen cabinets, or even under the bed (some good finds under there, not including the empty boxes of granola bars that my kids decided to stash for midnight snacks).

On Saturday, I was hanging out deep in my closet.  And I can report that after 3 years of living in this house, I have finally finished unpacking the 2 stubborn boxes that we threw in the closet because we didn't know where to put the contents.

As I was going through my old books, journals, and magazines I came across a little hand scribbled quote by Charlotte Gray.  I have no idea where it came from, or even who Charlotte Gray is (I googled her and she is a famous Canadian author and historian).  I can tell it is from my college years because it was tucked into one of my old college journals.  It says this...

"Success is not fame or money or the power to bewitch.  It is to have created something valuable from your own individuality and skill- a garden, an embroidery, a cake, a life."                   -Charlotte Gray

I actually stopped unpacking and had a moment right there in my closet.

How easy it is to forget that being creative is more than "just a hobby".  It is valuable.  It is important.  It inspires.  It points us to The Creator.  And it is individual, different for everybody.

So cool!

And so cool to think that I wrote this down 15 years ago as a communications major at Westmont College, having no idea where my life would go, or that this would speak to me so perfectly one Saturday afternoon, so many years later, as I cleaned out my closet.

Just a thought to share with you creative minded people out there.  Hopefully it inspires you as it has inspired me.

Happy Tuesday!

SHoP SPoTLiGHT

by Mollie

  First of all I would like to welcome all you Eisy Morgan readers! We are SOOO glad to have you here!

  Today we are doing a little SHOP SPOTLIGHT! We are excited to show all of you some of our handmade creations over here at YeLLoWMeDaiSY! Holly and I have a real desire to make things for the everyday boy (although we are working on some REALLY FUN girl items too!)  and to make things to inspire kiddos to imagination. We have some favorite items and LOTS of new ideas that Holly and I are whipping up for our Queen Bee Market to be debuted soon.

Here's what we got:

Roll and Go Carmats

These have gone like hotcakes at every market we have attended.  The pockets at the bottom house those little cars just perfectly, instead of rolling around at the bottom of your purse! 

Rolls up small for easy transportation!  A perfect Christmas gift for your little man. 

Tie & Bow tie Onesies!  

Perfect for the upcoming photo shoot for Christmas Cards! Those little men will look quite dapper! 

 Vintage Inspired Old Man Bowties

These dress up any simple outfit for your little man to make him picture/church/grandparent ready! Easy velcro attachment makes these comfortable and durable to wear. 

Vintage Fabric Flower Pins

Yep...we have stuff for moms too! These fabric pins attach with a large alligator clip in the back. Perfect to snap onto a simple headband or dress up a casual ponytail. 

Anytime Diaper Bags

These bags are perfect for the stylish mama.  Fits everything and the kitchen sink, but still looks great.  I'm kinda in love with this fabric, not gonna lie...

We have a lot of other items in our little shop and a lot more coming soon! Please take a couple minutes and check it all out.  We are so glad you stopped by!